(05/28/1945) Grady McMurtry to Aleister Crowley

1814th Ord S&M Co (Avn) APO 149, U. S. Army 28 May 1945 Germany

Dear Aleister, Yours of 21st May to hand. Am indeed sorry to hear that Grant went so completely on his face. Your last letter indicated that he had gone into a flat spin but I had hoped that he would pull out of it. But then there is no point in moaning about it so will switch to a more pleasant topic. Took a truck load of men on a liberty run to Pilsan over in Czechoslovakia yesterday. Quite a relief to be able to talk to civilians again. The Sudatanland is off limits but the rest of that country is considered as “liberated” territory. My German came in very handy. Up until now it has been quite useless to me except to tell people to get-the-hell-off property taken over by the Army. “Keine Burgher kann heir leben. RAUS MIT.” In re Karl’s request for a letter on the impact of the New Aeon on Social and Political affairs. Some how I feel that I have let you down in not transmitting my ideas in an intelligible form. The fault with Dynamics is that it tries to put the details of proof in with the generalities — and only succeeds in confusing the issue. The thing to do, of course, is to write it in at least three chapters — The Dynamics, expressing the grand idea; The Trend of Economic Change, giving the details of the economic side; and The Evolution of Social Concepts, giving free rein to the application of Thelema to such an economic order. There could be additional chapters but those are the main ones. I haven’t pressed the point in my letters recently because I had hoped to have them done in the near future. Also it had occurred to me that there was no point in getting you mixed up in ideas alien to Magick. That is — that you should not become involved in a movement that, should it have a setback, would reflect on your teachings of Magick, as such. However, that is for you to decide. In hopes of making this clear I will run through the outline and some of the proofs of The Evolution of Social Concepts. You will note that I do not go into great detail on Economics — those proofs are either in The Dynamics or will be in Trends.

The Evolution of Our Social Concepts

Economics of Scarcity — based on human labor Economics of Abundance — based on extraneous energy (machinery) Our entire history may be summed up as follows: The conversion of an ever- larger fraction of the total flow of solar energy into uses favorable to the human species has brought about our ascendancy over the other life-forms on this planet.

Conversion of solar energy to human uses takes the following forms:

Agriculture — concentration of grains, etc, in tended patches — otherwise the sunshine on these acres would be largely wasted — to us.

Domesticated Animals — large herds tended for food instead of stalking such animals separately. Also beast of burden.

Wind and Water — mills for grinding, ships — all applications of solar energy in some form or another.

Fire — from wood — weapon of offense and defense against other animals as well as cold — converts stored solar energy.

But — and this is the point — NO IMPORTANT TECHNOLOGICAL GAINS WERE MADE UNTIL WE BEGAN THE INTENSIVE EXPLOITATION OF FOSSIL FUELS (Coal and Oil). And what does all this have to do with the Thelemic Philosophy? Very simply this: For the first time in human history it is possible for an entire nation to live without a majority of its inhabitants being slaves, industrial or otherwise. What it amounts to is that we build machines to do our work for us, and then the only work that needs to be done is for a few technicians to tend the machines. The development of automatic “push-button”, industrial equipment is that far advanced right now. This will give that nation the time and resources, have they but the wit to use it, to educate their people, not just a select few, for living. This will give every opportunity — and encouragement — for the individual to follow his or her true Will. And that is Thelema, pure and simple. The application of our Thelemic Philosophy to a mass movement is an entirely different question. Magick, as such, is ruled out — the majority of people simply do not understand it. But a philosophy of Freedom! Ah, now — that is something else again. We must have an organization, I do not like the word Church and Lodge does not describe it, national in scope graduated in its degrees of application from “a working philosophy of life” at the base for those who comprehend the least to “the inner sanctum” at the top for the practitioners of High Magick. You will note that I stress the words “philosophy of life” — perhaps I can best express myself with the slogan: “We tend to outgrow the idea of A Father God just as we tend to outgrow the idea of a Godly Father”. The evolution of our accepted social conception to date would then be: Religion, cynicism, philosophy. One final point. The Aeon of Isis — the Earth is our Mother; the Aeon of Osiris — God is our Father; the Aeon of Horus — (beginning approximately 1900; modern industrial expansion began in earnest in its purity, inherits the fruits of its labouring parents and does its Will unhindered for he does not have to earn his bread by the sweat of his brow. To recapitulate:

I. Econ. of Scarcity

Econ. of Abundance Conversion of solar energy to human uses

II. Leisure — education for living — Will

A Philosophy of Life

The Aeon of Horus — Abundance and Thelema

Sometimes I think that I am trying to unscrew the inscrutable. To me it as clear as crystal — when a nation has an abundance of the goods of life its people become independent of Nature — being independent of Nature they have every encouragement to be Individuals, each following his own Will — and I always end up at Thelema. Where did you get off this time?